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City States of Ea
Formed from one of the provinces of the Empire, the City States of Ea formed amidst the splintering of the empire by like-minded former patricians and legionnaires who had grown weary of the excesses and control of the Imperial governors and satraps toward the era of the Empire’s decline. For years, the Imperial satraps had plundered the wealth and prosperity of the region, enforcing extreme tithes and taxes on the province, stifling the individual and disparate cities from ever seeing true prosperity. When the Emperor’s son, Belthasar led his coup in the Imperial capital, the patricians and warlords of the city-states wasted no time in gathering and preparing for their split from the rapidly crumbling Empire, to forge a future where Eans, not Imperials, profited from the bounty and rich resources of the land and sea. The land of the City States is a beautiful land of flat open plains, a few small woodlands, and some rolling low-hill lands. It is a land of mild climate which typically sees wet winters and dry, hot summers. The land at the edge of the mysterious and enchanted wood of Athel Kellar, or Kel’yii as it is know by the elves of the wood, is ideal for the tending of livestock and grain, however as one travels further east the soil becomes rockier and strewn with large boulders, much more like the land of the Horselords of Torland to the northeast. It is here that shepherds and goat herders are more common than farmers and ranchers. The south eastern coast of the City States is where the real wealth of the country exists. The land along the coast is ideal for the wine and olive industry, which forms the primary source of wealth for the City States. The long coast along the Gulf of Eamon is where the true strength of the City States lies however. Without the long stretches of coast perfect for docks and piers, the vast wealth and goods of the country would go to waste. The City States as a country boasts the largest number of coastal cities and its vast fleet of merchant ships is the largest on the continent. Industries The industries of the City-States are possibly more varied than anywhere else on the continent. This is largely to do with both geography and the fractured nature of the city-states in general. There is little to no over-arching direction of industry as an overall country. Grain farming and cattle ranching is largely conducted along the northwestern border of the country, along the edge of Athel Kellar, and provides much of the source of food exports that enrich the inner-city states with wealth as they trade their goods with the coastal cities. Along the northeastern border with Torland, the land becomes less agreeable to farming and ranching, so sheep and goat herders become far more common. The coast is considered the most prosperous region of the country largely due to the trade of olive and grape products, as well as the trade of more exotic goods from across the world that are brought in by the vast merchant marine capability of the city states. Fishing and other sea-based industries are also quite lucrative in the city states. The city states are also considered the best ship-builders in the world, and trade extensively with countries like the Vale for their lumber in exchange for exotic and luxury goods. Life and Society Life in the City States of Ea is typically considered the most fast-paced, at least as far as humans are concerned. Hundreds of individual city states lay claim to areas of land and attempt to make their own individual profits and prosperity. While the country is united under the moniker of the City States of Ea, the country is far from truly united, and though the people share a common history, culture, and appearance, there is little truly tying them together besides connections of trade. The warring of petty warlords and merchant princes is common in the city-states, and to some degree expected. For the common people this can range in trouble from a simple handing over of goods to a new ruler without so much as a second glance, to uprooting entire families and villages. There is quite a large gap in the city states between the commoners who do much of the labor and the merchant princes and warlords who maintain most, if not all, of the wealth and power. The merchant class and those who are strong enough to claim wealth and power are the only aristocracy that exists within the country. This makes life simultaneously harsh, but to some degree hopeful that any man with the will and drive to set out for wealth and prosperity might be able to achieve it. Government and Politics Perhaps more so than any other country, the governments and politics of the City States is the most varied and diverse. Port Eam is considered the de facto capital, though this does by no means mean that the Merchant Council of Eam has any control over the other city states whatsoever. Each city state is free to form whatever form of government it desires. Democracies, republics, oligarchies, and despotism are all examples of governmental forms that are commonly encountered in the city-states. This can become somewhat confusing for travelers, even for local travelers, when city states are conquered and new forms of government put into place. One year a thriving and free democracy can hold power in a given city, and the next a brutal and ruthless warlord may be ruling through force of strength and fear. This can be quite chaotic at times, but all the Merchant Council and the High Temple of Eamon cares is that these changes remain profitable and further the growth of trade and wealth. This results in politics that are more overtly controlled and dictated by concerns of wealth and profit. Sometimes this results in politics with a greater concern for the wealth and prosperity of the city-state as a whole, though it is also not uncommon to encounter much more politics of individual prosperity, which can only exacerbate the gap that exists between the commoners and the patrician class. Power Groups Because of the fractured nature of the city-states, there are few overarching groups of power in the country as a whole. In many ways, each city state is an island country amidst a sea of others, each with its own web of power structures. There are however a very few that can be considered to have far reaching power over all of the city states. Merchant Council of Eam: '''The Merchant Council of Eam is the ruling body of Port Eam. They are a body of the one hundred most powerful and wealthy patrician families from across the City States. The ten most powerful families of Port Eam oversee the running of the City State of Port Eam itself, and are the most common to meet. The other 90 representatives rarely are seen in the council chambers unless the council must deal with trade or military issues that would affect the whole country, but this is extremely rare and has never required the presence of all one hundred representatives. In general, while this body has the power to execute wide reaching orders, it never has and likely never will. Allowing the City States to war and trade on their own terms remains far more profitable as a whole, particularly when some of the representatives who sit on the council can gain more wealth in supplying weapons and other supplies to a particular city’s efforts, so the Merchant Council has absolutely no reason to be nearly so heavy handed in its decrees. '''Merchant Guilds and Trading Companies: '''The true power in the city states flows from the power of the various merchant guilds and trading companies which monopolize the trade and movement of goods and labor throughout the city states. It is the merchant guilds that have the power to halt trade in a particular good between city states because they own nearly three quarters of all the goods that are traded. Greasing the palms of the Trading Companies can get a person access to nearly anything a person can dream of, even goods that are considered less than scrupulous. The Trading Companies have a notorious reputation for raping far off lands of their natural resources and they are known to trade in slaves from far-off lands. As terrible as it may seem, there are very few people, if any at all who have the power to stand in the way of the vast resources of the guilds. '''Warlords: Though not exactly connected with each other to form a network of power, there are countless numbers of petty warlords both in power and seeking power that are scattered throughout the City States. It can be considered that where the merchant guilds and trading companies have a monopoly on the business of trade and commerce, the warlords have the same on the business of war. Many of the warlords are descendents of the legionnaires that first arrived in the land during the expansion of the High Empire. As the vast majority of resistance from local humanoids was pushed further northeast, many of these legionnaires took to raiding and pillaging the local people for wealth and power. This has not changed since the end of Imperial control. The descendants of the legionnaires still know the ways of war better than most common people, and it is because of this unique monopoly on the knowledge and skills of war that make the warlords a power within the country. Halfling Clans: There are a few particularly powerful clans of Halflings within the City States. As a nomadic people, they have no allegiance to one particular city state or another. This freedom gives them the opportunity to operate as they desire without too many concerns for the consequences. There are many Halfling clans that travel throughout the world and the city states, each with what would appear to outsiders as a particular area of knowledge they are known best for. The Blackriver Halflings are considered the most knowledgeable in the Grey Wastes beyond the wood of Athel Kellar, and are often sought out as guides for river traders braving the mysterious ashen wastes between the city states and the Kingdom of the Vale. The Goldwater Halflings are similarly considered for their knowledge of the uncharted waters of the Gulf of Eamon. There are countless many more clans, typically small, consisting each of only a few individual families, but with long traditions and secret knowledge born of their centuries of their nomadic lifestyle. Religion Of the churches, the Church of Eamon is considered the most dominant in the country with the High Temple being in the City State of Port Eam. Many of the merchant princes and trading company owners pay at least lip service to the Merchant King, seeking his blessing and for guidance toward vast wealth and prosperity for themselves. Many sailors also pay homage to the Jack of Coins in hope for prosperous voyages. As in most civilized and urban places, the Church of Miranda is also common, seeing to the judgment of local law and ensuring the laws of the land are followed, and order kept. This can often put the church at odds with the chaotic nature of the struggle of the warlords and the constant economic shifts which can destabilize law and order within the cities. Worship of the Twin-sided Coin is also known throughout the city states, though there are never open churches and congregations to the goddess of thieves. However, where there are vast amounts of wealth, there will undoubtedly be those who seek to steal it. Amongst the warlords, some offer worship to the Bloody Handed One for the power to have victory in their pursuit of war and power. It is also rumored that Cults to Asmodeus have begun to form within the country since the King of Hell’s recent uprising against his lord and master, the former Tyrant Lord Ashrael. Major Settlements Port Eam: '''Port Eam lies at the point where the Black River meets the Gulf of Eamon, straddling the river. It is easily the largest city, and most powerful city-state in all of Ea. Port Eam’s docks are the largest and busiest in the world, ships coming and going at all hours of the day and night. At the center of the city along the eastern bank of the Black River, stands the acropolis atop a rocky hill overlooking the city. This is where the merchant council meets and governs over the city of Port Eam and discusses the prosperity of the city states as a whole from time to time. At the base of the acropolis, built into the hill itself and forming in both a literal and metaphorical foundation for the acropolis is the High Temple of Eamon. Port Eam also boasts the largest military shipyards in the City States, though most of these construct ships at the contract of other nations. As quite a mystery to most people of Port Eam, nearly half of the shipyards are currently working on constructing large, sleek, war vessels at the behest of an envoy of unusual looking elves with hair the colors of the sky at dawn and eyes that burn with golden light. The Merchant Council speaks very little of this unusual envoy, and does very little to stem the tide of rumors that abound throughout the city concerning the pushing back of other contracted vessels by the Trading Companies in favor of this new deal. Important Sites '''Gulf of Eamon: The Gulf of Eamon is the single busiest stretch of sea, perhaps even in the world. Merchants and sailors ply their trades throughout the gulf, bringing goods to and from the ports of the City States. Despite this heavy travel, there remain many places of mystery, uncharted islands, and stories of places where ships are lost and never heard from again. There are even tales of sea spirits with beautiful, heavenly voices who lure sailors off into the mist over calm waters never to be heard from again. The Gulf of Eamon can be a source of great wealth and adventure for those who are brave enough to sail its waters. '''Athel Kellar: '''While not within the borders of the City States, Athel Kellar, or Kel’yii as it is known to the Wood Elves, is a place of note amongst the common people of the City States. Meaning literally “Enchanted Wood” in the High Tongue, Athel Kellar is a place of fear and mystery to most people. Stories abound of spiteful creatures of the realm of dreams and nightmares luring unsuspecting people into the woods never to be seen again. There are even stories of beautiful women who dance along the wood’s edge at night, luring men from their wives and leading them about the ever-shifting paths of the enchanted forest until they die of old age, and of men who have wandered in the wood and become lost for the night, only to discover in the morning they have been gone for hundreds of years. The wood is generally a place of fear and mystery, and its secrets kept by the denizens of the wood.